This post was written by Collette Carter in coordination with the ACLU, The Audre Lorde Project, The New York City Anti-Violence Project, Mijente, Southerners On New Ground, National Lawyers Guild, Vision Change Win, BYP100, and Transgender Law Center.

Transgender, gender nonconforming, and LGB Latinx communities and communities of color have always protected each other — and the stories from Orlando will tell you the same. In this moment of increased policing and militarization of our community spaces, we continue to build community and develop ways to extend our conversations about the many real threats we face in our homes and community spaces.

In the words of Southerners on New Ground, we continue to explore these questions: “What will it take to build a safety many of us have never experienced? What would we need to call on each other instead of the police? What would it take to have saved every person inside of Pulse? How do we hold the cultural and political architects of this oh so deliberate tragedy accountable?”

As an initial answer, we have pulled together the following resources for exploring community safety by addressing the root causes of violence, and relying on each other instead of the state. We plan to develop more resources in the coming weeks.